{"id":14893,"date":"2025-08-07T21:12:00","date_gmt":"2025-08-07T21:12:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/yohrt.com\/news\/instagram-reiterates-location-sharing-is-optional\/"},"modified":"2025-08-07T21:12:00","modified_gmt":"2025-08-07T21:12:00","slug":"instagram-reiterates-location-sharing-is-optional","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/yohrt.com\/news\/instagram-reiterates-location-sharing-is-optional\/","title":{"rendered":"#\n                Instagram Reiterates Location Sharing Is Optional"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 eztoc-toggle-hide-by-default' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/yohrt.com\/news\/instagram-reiterates-location-sharing-is-optional\/#Instagram_Reiterates_Location_Sharing_Is_Optional\" >Instagram Reiterates Location Sharing Is Optional<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h1><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Instagram_Reiterates_Location_Sharing_Is_Optional\"><\/span>\n                Instagram Reiterates Location Sharing Is Optional<br \/>\n            <span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h1>\n<div>\n<p><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>Well, that escalated quickly.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>After announcing its new Friend Map feature yesterday, Instagram has been flooded with misguided complaints and concerns about how the new feature will expose people\u2019s locations without them knowing, potentially putting millions of people at risk. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>To recap, Instagram\u2019s new Friend Map <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><span><span><span><span><span>will show you where your friends are at any given time, while also highlighting places friends have been, via location-tagged Stories that they\u2019ve posted.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<div align=\"center\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Instagram Friend Map\" data-imagemodel=\"184029\" src=\"https:\/\/imgproxy.divecdn.com\/JsC3qh2p1AjHWAo7I1qJ7ItZuZ7tE3jxrQqGpbip7ks\/g:ce\/rs:fit:1600:0\/Z3M6Ly9kaXZlc2l0ZS1zdG9yYWdlL2RpdmVpbWFnZS9pZ19mcmllbmRzX21hcC5wbmc=.webp\"\/><\/div>\n<p><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>Which is pretty much the same as the Snap Map, but Snapchat doesn\u2019t have as many users, and as such, it didn\u2019t see the same level of <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.buzzfeed.com\/chelseastewart\/instagram-maps-reactions?utm_source=threads&amp;utm_term=4ldqpfp#4ldqpfp\" style=\"color:blue\">backlash that Instagram\u2019s now seeing<\/a>, with many users complaining that location sharing like this is unsafe, and could even get someone killed.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>What\u2019s important to note, however, is that the feature is opt-in, so it is not switched on for anyone without their knowledge. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>As explained by Instagram in its <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/about.instagram.com\/blog\/announcements\/instagram-new-features-connect-friends\/\" style=\"color:blue\">announcement post<\/a>:<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><span><span><em><span><span><span><span><span>\u201cY<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><span><span><span><span>ou can opt into sharing your last active location with friends you pick, and you can turn it off anytime. You can also open the map to see content your friends and favorite creators are posting from cool spots. No matter how you use the map, you and your friends have a new, lightweight way to connect with each other.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>\u201d<\/em><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>Note the first line, \u201cyou can opt in\u201d to sharing your location, but you don\u2019t have to, and your location won\u2019t be shown unless you manually switch it on. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>But the wording may have been unclear, because Instagram chief Adam Mosseri has been forced to <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.threads.com\/@mosseri\/post\/DNDbSjAshde\" style=\"color:blue\">reiterate this point<\/a>:<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><span><span><em><span><span><span><span>\u201c<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/em><em><span><span><span><span><span>Your location will only be shared *if* you decide to share it, and if you do, it can only shared with a limited group of people you choose. To start, location sharing is *completely off.*<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span> If you do decide to share your location, the three options are a custom list you make, your Close Friends list, or followers you follow back.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>\u201d<\/em><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>So it\u2019s not randomly exposing everybody to the world, and showing where you are, and what you\u2019re doing at all times. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>Mosseri has also clarified the process for <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.threads.com\/@mosseri\/post\/DNDbWpMslyo\" style=\"color:blue\">Stories location-sharing<\/a>:<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><span><span><em><span><span><span><span><span>\u201c<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/em><em><span><span><span><span><span>If you tag a location in your story, that story will show up on the map for 24 hours. As always with Stories, this only shows the place you tagged to your followers &#8211; it does not share your real-time or live location.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>\u201d<\/em><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>Some users claim that location services was turned on by default, and is now showing their location in the app. But it is a manual setting, and the only way that this would be switched on may be if users have enabled such in the past, for Instagram\u2019s <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.businessinsider.com\/guides\/tech\/instagram-map\" style=\"color:blue\">other location-tagging features<\/a>, and if they&#8217;ve shared a Story in public. In which case, as Mosseri notes, the map would show the location of that Story to your connections, but not your live location.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>So, essentially, it may be possible that you\u2019re showing on the IG map without you manually activating it for this exact purpose. But you can also switch location sharing off, both in the app and in your device settings. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>Instagram has also built in some additional privacy features, like an option to <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.threads.com\/@jw\/post\/DNDnR8fROKU\/media\" style=\"color:blue\">hide selected locations from the map<\/a>, even if you are sharing your info:<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<div align=\"center\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Instagram location sharing\" data-imagemodel=\"184135\" src=\"https:\/\/imgproxy.divecdn.com\/SdhB2ADSdMo5SFQ0rNg5dk_JqqHZopgsA_VZA2TxgO8\/g:ce\/rs:fit:1600:0\/Z3M6Ly9kaXZlc2l0ZS1zdG9yYWdlL2RpdmVpbWFnZS9pZ19sb2NhdGlvbl9zaGFyaW5nX1ltbmRXZEkucG5n.webp\"\/><\/div>\n<p><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>So to clarify, you\u2019re not sharing your location to everyone on Instagram, and you have full control and capacity to switch it off. Friend Map sharing is not switched on by default, and the only way to activate location sharing is via manual control. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>So if you don\u2019t like it, don\u2019t use it, and no one will know where you are in the app. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more like this article, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/yohrt.com\/news\/social-media\/\" target=\"_blank\" >Social Media<\/a><\/span> category.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.socialmediatoday.com\/news\/instagram-reiterates-that-location-sharing-is-not-switched-on-by-default\/757162\/\" target=\"_blank\" >Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Instagram Reiterates Location Sharing Is Optional Well, that escalated quickly. After announcing its new Friend Map feature yesterday, Instagram has been flooded with misguided complaints and concerns about how the new feature will expose people\u2019s locations without them knowing, potentially putting millions of people at risk. To recap, Instagram\u2019s new Friend Map will show you&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":14894,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/imgproxy.divecdn.com\/IjwRlD93aP6BGGuT5EBi7bnodCBrZrn2DGHqrFrYdb4\/g:ce\/rs:fit:770:435\/Z3M6Ly9kaXZlc2l0ZS1zdG9yYWdlL2RpdmVpbWFnZS9pZ19mcmllbmRzX21hcC5wbmc=.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[1448],"class_list":["post-14893","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-social-media","tag-instagram"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/yohrt.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14893","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/yohrt.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/yohrt.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yohrt.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yohrt.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14893"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/yohrt.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14893\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yohrt.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/14894"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/yohrt.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14893"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yohrt.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14893"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yohrt.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14893"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}